This New West studio wants everyone to access creativity

Mishel Arrieta has an eye for talent.

Stepping into her new studio along Front Street is a feast for the eyes: brightly coloured keychains hang from hooks, and glittery resin moons and candy shapes beckon you to take a closer look. The wings of an embroidered Atlas moth pin, on display at the front counter, have the colours of autumn: the way the oranges, yellows, reds, and browns are put together make you think the insect is simply resting. A solemn face, painted on a canvas, watches visitors from high on the brick walls.

Arrieta’s curated collection comes from a variety of artists local to the Lower Mainland—the majority are from New West.

“When I was just working on this space, people would pop in and inquire, and they’d be like, ‘Oh! I have this [piece of art]!’” she tells New West Anchor. “There’s a couple from Vancouver, North Vancouver or Surrey. And then there’s a very small handful of artwork that is not from people in BC, but they’re all Canadian,” she adds.

While she has artwork to sell, this is also a place to create, with a calendar innovatively displayed in one of the windows. Some of the art classes—explained on post-it notes—are for families with children, others are for adults. There’s even an open studio event a couple of times a month, for people to bring their work in.

We’re sitting at a table that has a couple of paint stains, and you can tell that people have enjoyed evenings at Arrieta, perhaps sipping on a refreshing drink as they create and laugh with friends. Arrieta says painting is one of her favourite things to do, though she also loves glassmaking.

Arrieta's family has a history of being involved in the landscaping industry, and she wanted to keep the family's legacy going. While she's based in White Rock, Arrieta landed this space after one of her friends gave a glowing endorsement of New Westminster.

“APT Pop is a pop-up exhibition that me and my friend Ben Pilger have put on for the last four or five years now. He lives in New West, and he suggested New West as a city to do the pop-up exhibition because it was more artsy,” says Arrieta. While she did one show in Surrey, she felt that location wasn’t as accessible as the one she’s in today. Arrieta loves that her Front Street shop is steps away from transit.

“The reception [in New West] has been incredible. When I first moved here, someone had said, ‘New West is like a small town.’ I’m not from here, so it’s new to me. I know that it’s physically a small city, but given that you have the SkyTrain, and the other cities surrounding it, it always gave the vibe of a big city to me, optically.”

Arrieta says meeting people has changed the way she sees New West.

“Everyone knew [the studio] was coming, and people were just really excited about it. Now they pop in, they talk to me, they welcome me. I’ve just been talking to the community to see what they want from the space, because that’s the point of it,” Arrieta explains.

For Arrieta, it’s been incredible watching her dreams of an art space–one that’s open to as many people as possible—come to life.

“I think a lot of people who aren’t necessarily artistic are intimidated by it, and they don’t engage themselves in art events as much. And I want to bridge that gap as much as possible. [Having] the classes, but then also doing fun pop-up shows in here.” Arrieta hopes people will follow their curiosities, adding that whether you’re solo or with a group, there’s always something fun for folks to do.

Learn more about the art for sale and the openings for different classes through Arrieta’s website and Instagram.